Bright spot for Peugeot as 308 takes Geneva COTY

Peugeot head Maxime Picat poses next to a Peugeot 308 after the model took the Car of the Year 2014 title at the Geneva International Motor Show. AFP PHOTO

GENEVA: Peugeot’s 308 picked up the Car of the Year award last week on the eve of the opening of this year’s Geneva International Motor Show, a boost for the troubled car company that recently had to be rescued by the French government and China’s Dongfeng auto brand.

A panel of European automobile journalists chose the 308 hatchback over a handful of other finalists, including Tesla’s Model S, a luxury American electric car.

“We talked a lot about Peugeot during these last months, we talked a lot about many, many things but not about cars,” said Maxime Picat, head of the Peugeot brand at PSA Peugeot Citroen. “I’m really pleased to speak about cars and the wonderful new 308.”

The cash-starved French carmaker last month won a new lease on life by handing over part control to the French state and China’s state-owned car company Dongfeng.

Peugeot, Europe’s second-largest manufacturer after Volkswagen, was weakened considerably by its heavy dependence on the slumping European auto market and hopes its tie-up with Dongfeng will lead to higher sales in China, the world’s top car market.

The Car of the Year award should also lead to an acceleration in sales for the 308, according to a car analyst.

“This could lead to an increase in sales of 20 percent,” said Bertrand Rakoto at D3 Intelligence.

Peugeot has already received 55,000 orders for the model launched at the end of last year.